Rita Ora to Perform Best Original Song Nominee at the Oscars 2015

Rita Ora is the latest music superstar to be added to the roster of performers for the 87th Academy Awards.

Ora will perform Best Original Song nominee “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights. The track is written by Diane Warren, in her seventh nomination, following bids for such iconic film tracks as “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” “Because You Loved Me,” “How Do I Live,” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”.

With Ora on the bill, this means the only songs whose performers have yet to be announced are “Everything Is Awesome” from The LEGO Movie and “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me. I don’t suspect the Academy will have to look elsewhere for performers for the first song, since the original artists — Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island — are popular enough that the Academy should invite them to perform. But Glen Campbell’s affliction with Alzheimer’s means the Academy will have to find an artist to perform Campbell’s nominated song on his behalf. I’m most interested in this latter issue, since Campbell’s song is my second favorite of the five, and it’ll take a fairly soulful folk-type singer to do it justice. I’m not sure whom the Academy will select, but when the news breaks, we’ll certainly have it here.

As for this news, Rita Ora is a wonderful singer, and while I don’t love “Grateful,” I think she’ll deliver an absolutely killer live performance. If nothing else, her stage presence should add a lot to the show, especially if it’s running over long, as the Oscars tend to do.

Check out what Rita Ora has in store for the Oscars 2015 when the 87th Academy Awards ceremony airs live, February 22nd on ABC. Until then, listen to the Oscar-nominated “Grateful,” along with the other four Best Original Song nominees, by clicking HERE.